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Mini Stock Championship Showdown Set for Saturday at Riverside

The MJS and Prime Lift East Coast Mini Stock Tour championship battle will come down to one final race. The Diamond Trucking 50, a part of the Lucas Oil 150 Season Finale at Riverside International Speedway, is the seventh and final round on the Tour and will crown the 2018 champion of the Four Cylinder Honda Series. Racing action begins on Saturday at 5 pm.

After Chris Hatcher (Beaver Bank, NS) drove the No. 31 entry for the last two weekends in New Brunswick, Matthew Warren (White’s Lake, NS) returns to the seat of the Multi-Tech Automotive/A1 Tree Care Honda Civic with the point lead. Warren has a healthy 21 point lead on Dave Matthews (Kennetcook, NS) and a 23 point advantage on reigning champion Tim Webster (Beaver Bank, NS). While Andrew Warren (White’s Lake, NS), Cody Byrne (Orwell Cove, PE) and Neil Miousse (Kentville, NS) are not mathematically eliminated from the championship picture heading into the Diamond Trucking 50, they are long shots to take home the title.

In addition to winning the MJS and Prime Lift East Coast Mini Stock Tour title and being declared as one of the best Four Cylinder drivers in the region, the champion will receive a “Revolution RMR6” lift from MJS and Prime Lift for their accomplishments.

With heat races paying championship points, Matthew Warren can lock up his first MJS and Prime Lift East Coast Mini Stock Tour championship with a podium finish in the Diamond Trucking 50. Following qualifying, that spot needed to clinch the championship in the final feature of the season could be bigger than third for Warren.

The No. 31 finished second in each of the last three events, the StickerFool.com 50 at Petty International Raceway and the Pub’s Drive Thru Bottle Exchange 50 at Speedway 660 with Hatcher at the wheel and second at the Passione Flooring and Interiors 50 at Riverside International Speedway with Warren in the seat. The team scored their first Series win at Lake Doucette Motor Speedway to kick off August in the Bruce Honda Showdown on the Shore.

Matthews is making a late-season push for the 2018 championship. Matthews is the only two-time feature winner on the Series after taking home the win in the Pub’s Drive Thru Bottle Exchange 50 last Saturday at Speedway 660 to go with his win in the Season Opener at Petty International Raceway. Matthews is still searching for his first Riverside International Speedway win, which would give him a lift towards the top spot in the championship.

Should anyone want to win the Diamond Trucking 50, they will have to go through Webster. The defending Series champion has won the two MJS and Prime Lift East Coast Mini Stock Tour events at Riverside International Speedway and will look for the hat trick on Saturday evening.

With this being the season finale, a number of drivers will be hauling to Riverside International Speedway for one more crack at victory lane in the 2018 season. The season has seen five different winners in six races, including two-time winner Matthews, Andrew Warren, Matthew Warren, Webster, and Byrne.

Hatcher and Jesse Deveau (Greenwood, NS) have podium finishes to show from the 2018 season but are missing a checkered flag. Miousse, “The Ironman” Drew MacEachern (Dartmouth, NS), Darren Flemming (Belnan, NS), Matt Watson (Miscouche, PE) and Taylor McLean (New Glasgow, NS) have all shown speed enough to run at the front of the field and will look to cap 2018 off with a win.

David Hibbs (Middle Sackville, NS) will have eyes on him as he brings a head of steam into Riverside International Speedway. “Hibby” has won the last two races on the Scotia Speedworld Weekly Series for Hondas (Thunder cars) including the Toursec 50 in mid-August. Hibbs took eight years off from competition before returning in 2018 and after dialing in his new build he has hit his stride. He has one more goal on his season and that is to win at Riverside.

Northern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton will have some hometown flair in the field to cheer on during Saturday’s Diamond Trucking 50. In addition to Miousse driving for Bob Landry Motorsports based out of Havre Boucher and McLean from New Glasgow, Jerome Tracey (Port Hawkesbury, NS), James Sample (Antigonish, NS) and Arnold McGrath will return to compete at Riverside. Brandon MacMillan and Josh Benac will each make the haul from the Sydney area to race in their first MJS and Prime Lift East Coast Mini Stock Tour event of the season. Chris Drover, while based in Lower Sackville, will make his second start of the season and is a former Island Speedway track champion.

Fans should note a special start time of 5 p.m. for this event. Atlantic Tiltload Pro Stock Heat Races will set the starting grid for the Lucas Oil 150; the NAPA Sportsman Series and the MJS and Prime Lift East Coast Mini Stock Tour will also compete in heat races prior to their features.

Reserved and general admission tickets are available online until Friday at Noon. General admission tickets will be available at the gate starting at 1 p.m. on race day. There is plenty of free spectator vehicle and RV parking for this event. RV parking is for self-contained units only and campers must park in the area designated for campers, and must adhere to Riverside camping terms of use.

About Prime Lift Limited:
Prime Lift operates as a division of Prime Material Handling Equipment and the exclusive distributor for Rotary automotive lift sales, installation, inspection, parts and service in Atlantic Canada. From the day you decide to go Rotary, from selecting the right automotive lift, installation method, thorough safety inspections and servicing – Prime Lift is dedicated to continuously deliver more value and keep our customers safe! Visit them online at www.Prime-Lift.com

The East Coast Mini Stock Tour was formed in December 2016 to give Mini Stock racing in the Maritime Provinces a unified home. Featuring four cylinder Honda models, the series will host events at five oval race tracks throughout Atlantic Canada in their seven race season. For complete information on the East Coast Mini Stock Tour, please visit EastCoastMiniStockTour. com

Riverside International Speedway is recognized as a premiere stock racing facility in Canada. The 1/3-mile high banked asphalt oval roars to action several times a year for special events. It is the home for eastern Canada’s only NASCAR event, and of the IWK 250 – widely known as the best stock car race in Canada. Located in James River, between New Glasgow and Antigonish, the facility is easily accessible at exit 30 on Trans Canada Highway 104. For more information call 902.863.2410 or click www.riversidespeedway.ca.